If a patient presents with rest pain and the ankle pressure is measured at 120 mmHg, what is the expected situation?

When a patient presents with rest pain and the ankle pressure is measured at 120 mmHg, this situation is indeed higher than what would typically be expected for a patient experiencing symptoms associated with significant arterial insufficiency. In cases of arterial disease, particularly when there is rest pain, one would anticipate lower ankle pressures due to insufficient blood flow caused by narrowed or blocked arteries.

An ankle pressure of 120 mmHg suggests that there is at least some level of arterial perfusion, which is not consistent with the expectations for someone experiencing rest pain — typically, they would have much lower pressures, reflecting critical limb ischemia. Therefore, the measured ankle pressure indicates that the arterial function may not be as severely compromised as one might expect in the context of rest pain, thus highlighting that the values are higher than anticipated for such a clinical scenario.

In summary, while the patient is experiencing rest pain, the ankle pressure of 120 mmHg suggests a better perfusion status than typically observed in severe cases of arterial compromise, hence classifying this pressure as higher than expected.